Bjj / grappling/ MMA Tips: recover faster between sessions with these 4 tips

I recently read an online article on recovery between sessions and I thought it did an OK job of telling you what's important but still left much to the imagination with regards to immediate steps to take so here goes my version:

The best ways to recover faster between jiujitsu sessions:

1 – Stretch your muscles and decompress your spine 

Have a post-session routine and stick to it. This doesn't need to be complicated nor take a long time. A good start is to do the following three stretches religiously after every session:

a. Downward dog: this will work your back chain (calves, hamstrings, spine...etc) for 1-2 minutes 

BJJ / Grappling / MMA review: Green Tea - LiveWire Matcha Tea.

I received a jar of this stuff just over a month back and I have been very impressed with the results. I really don't have anything negative to say about it and a ton of great stuff.

LiveWire Tea was started by two health and BJJ enthusiasts, Lee and Peter, who wanted to enhance their performance, concentration and quality of life in general. You can read the details of their story here. Their product is high quality matcha tea, which is superior to standard black tea or even green tea. Superior how and why? Let me tell you:

Research the following two substances:

L-theanine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theanine) and catechin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catechin) but let me give you a quick run down:


L-theanine is an amino acid (from the glutamine family) that's great for enhancing your cognitive performance, reduce stress and increase concentration.

Catechins are a family of flavenols and they act as antioxidants. They will protect your body from the oxidative effects of exercise and stress, combat fatigue, enhance recovery (mental and physical), raise your glucose uptake and insulin sensitivity (which is a good thing) and your basal metabolism and help with fat loss!

The best thing is these effects are all enhanced by combining these substances with just enough caffeine, which green tea will also give you.

And it's not me saying this. The scientific research into these three substances is extensive. However, do do your own research and verify.

Matcha green tea by LiveWire is delicious and very easy to mix with both hot and cold liquids. I like to add it smoothies, juices and even sweetened yogurt. I drink it hot (with hot water) or as a latte (with heated milk). If you're not sure what a green tea latte tastes like, I believe several cafes sell them nowadays so go give it a try.


Why LiveWire? Well, it's by members of the jiujitsu community so let's support them and the fact that they're a small company warms my heart. The product is top notch and the prices are very reasonable.

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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

BJJ / Grappling Supplements: GLC2000 and BJJ update

A week ago, I mentioned that the hard jiu jitsu sessions we do at The Labs were leaving my muscles sore and some of my joints a little sore too. I also mentioned that I had, coincidently, just received my first tub of GLC2000 . GLC2000 is a market leader in high-end cartilage and joint formulae which I first saw in my first copy of Ultimate Grappling Magazine. I said I'd try to report on the results of the product as regularly as I can so here it goes.

First, to re-iterate, my main joint issues from martial arts (karate and BJJ / Grappling) are:

Sore fingers / knuckles
Sore neck
"Tired" shoulder / rotator cuff muscles - tender tendons
Achy ribs, near the false ribs (lower rib cage)
Sore knees
Sore toes and ball of foot

I put GLC2000 (which is 4 types of Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfates combined) to the ultimate test this past week:

BJJ / Grappling Supplements: GLC2000 Glucosamine + Chondroitin

Last night's advanced BJJ session at The Labs had something extra ordinary about it.

Without getting into too much detail, I can tell you that we worked really hard, but not to the point of breaking. We held and maintained a very high pace, but still managed to learn lots of jiu jitsu from the session.

In groups of three and against resistance, we drilled guard passing, sweeps, submissions, takedowns and takedown defence for two minute rounds, changing partner every time a point or a submission was scored. We did this for the full duration of the session and I am feeling it today! My muscles are sore and some of my joints are a little sore. I'm not broken, but I have been definitely been given a very thorough workout!

Coincidently, I received my first tub of GLC2000 yesterday. GLC2000 is a market leader in high-end Cartilage and joint formulae which I first saw in my first copy of Ultimate Grappling Magazine. We have all heard and read about joint supplements and whether they work or not but the proof, as they say, is in the pudding and I'm giving this one a try.

To give this Glucosamine / Chondroitin joint supplement the best review possible, I will be running a diary based on how I perceive the benefits of the product. My main joint issues from martial arts (karate and BJJ / Grappling) are:

Sore fingers / knuckles
Sore neck
"Tired" shoulder / rotator cuff muscles - tender tendons
Achy ribs, near the false ribs (lower rib cage)
Sore knees
Sore toes and ball of foot

Which pretty much covers everything haha but hey at least my elbows seem to be fine (touch wood!)

I will be updating the Part Time Grappler blog regularly with results of this experiment. (Sore) fingers crossed!


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ZHOO ZHITSU IS FOR EVERYONE!

Liam "The Part Time Grappler" Wandi

Proudly sponsored by Predator Fightwear: Built for the kill and Brutal TShirt: Made By Grapplers For Fighters

Grappling / BJJ Food and Nutrition Tips

Whata to eata?!

I personally have been massively enjoying the The Warrior Diet
for the past few months but I never stop updating my knowledge. I recently discovered this fantastic resource of recipes. Feel free to download it for free. It's not mine but rather belongs to a Mr Billy Ho. Why not check it out. It will definitely enrich your library.


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BJJ Nutrition Tip: The Warrior Diet: How to Fit Your Diet Around BJJ / Grappling

I received a question from Marc in France (Once again, many thanks for reading the blog!). It was regarding an earlier post of mine about supplementing with creatine . I have replied to Marc’s specific question but it reminded me to give an update on my (always evolving) training, diet and supplementation.

As much as I love training with Kettlebells, I am constantly looking for new ways to get an edge over those who have more time to train than I do. Thanks to a small competition by the gym instructor at work, I discovered the rowing machine! I've always known that rowing is a great sport and form of exercise, but never thought much about indoor rowing. Now I do interval training on the rower as I feel the use or your body is very similar to that in Grappling / BJJ. More about that in a future post.

Further, as I am faced with accumulating uni work, I have scaled down my Grappling training for this and next week down to Fridays only. Added to that, I am on the rower 3 mornings a week before work. As the workload on my body is lower, so is the need for recovery assistance (i.e. creatine). I have now stopped using creatine but will probably get back on it when back to my usual sessions.

The biggest change I have added is that I am now following something called the The Warrior Diet. I can’t remember how I stumbled upon it, but I liked the initial idea and went to Waterstones and checked the book out. The basic concept is that warriors of old used to eat one meal a day* and the author of the book, Ori Hofmekler, feels that we should revert back to that way of eating/living. I thought to myself: “I’ll try this for a week or two. If my body likes it then I’ll invest in the book”.

5 days later I was feeling such a difference I went back and bought it and I’m now an avid follower. I love the The Warrior Diet for the following 6 reasons:

1. I eat my 5-a-day before 6 o’clock every day.
2. My stomach and alimentary canal feel great.
3. I feel lighter and more energised.
4. The hunger actually keeps me sharp.
5. I’m losing weight without really trying.
6. I get to eat anything I want for dinner. Anything. Everyday. Need I say more?!

I strongly recommend everybody to read the The Warrior Diet. Ori is a wise man and there is a wealth of information in the book. Not just about diet, but health, history and physiology. Besides, when a book opens up with comments by Pavel Tsatsouline and Steve and DC Maxwell, you better believe it’s worth a read.

Check it out and let me know.

*Apart from your evening meal, you can eat fresh fruit and vegetables (and some yogurt) thru-out the day.


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BJJ Nutrition Tips: Food For Fitness Book Review

In my never ending search for more efficient ways to do things, I have recently been looking into the question of diet and nutrition and have very luckily stumbled upon, in my personal opinion, one of the best books ever written on the subject. It’s called Food for Fitness and is written by Anita Bean, A former body building champion and a highly accomplished Registered Nutritionist. I recommend the book without reservations to anyone who is looking to get the best out of their day.

I know many of you are thinking: “There are lots of books on Diet and Nutrition out there. What makes this one so unique?”

We, apart from the excellent and well-researched content, and Anita’s own reputable name, the winner point for me was the design and layout of the book. To me, the question of design has always been about usability, problem solving and aesthetics. This is what distinguishes Food for Fitness: It had it all!

Food for Fitness started with a thorough look at food groups and their functions in the body and followed that up with a very user-friendly association chapter where you were advised on how to time food stuff (around your training sessions) to optimize the benefits. This section was very good in that it both gave you the author’s recommendations but also the guidelines that allow you to substitute your own favourites! Not everybody likes/has access to/can afford The Royal Jelly!

Food for Fitness goes on to list Super Foods, Tips for weight management and much more before it summarises all the knowledge into ready-to-use menu options.

This book is worth its weight in gold! Get Food for Fitness and see your energy levels soar!


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BJJ Nutrition Tips: Recovery Update: Creatine Rules!

Jeez that thing tastes sweet! The brand of Creatine I am using is grape flavour and the tin advises stacking for 5 days with a high dose (20g of Creatine spread over 4 servings) and then down to one serving a day. My urine is very concentrated so I am always keeping a water bottle with me and I will soon half the daily Creatine dose again. I definitely noticed an improvement in my recovery and I recommend the stuff to everyone out there.

Also, a friend recommends Glutamine, which I’m going to look into. I think I’m eating a better diet all-round, which is also helping.

When I go to the gym before work, I always grab a glass of milk afterwards for some extra protein. The same applies with after grappling / Brazilian Jiu Jitsu sessions. A blend of protein and carbs seems to do the post-workout trick (nothing fancy. A glass of milk and/or peanut butter with some toast is just fine!)

If you are having any specific recovery related issues, drop me a line on parttimegrappler@yahoo.com

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BJJ Nutrition Tips: Supplementing with Creatine Monohydrate

My current training schedule involves a short (but intense) Kettlebell session 4 times per week plus at least 2 technical gi sessions and two (shorter) sparring sessions.

It's not much compared to what some professional fighters do. But then again, I'm not a professional fighter!

Nevertheless, this schedule leaves my knackered! Once I'm warmed up and rolling, I feel fine but I feel that I'm always walking around tired. So I did some research into the subject:

1. I Googled "Recovery Grappling Nutrition" and "Wrestling Recovery Research" and followed a few of the (sciencey-type) links
2. I had a chat with my manager at work who is into Triathlons! I figured if anyone will know a lot about recovery it's going to be someone who does three sports!
3. I took a long hard look at my daily habits

The fruit of my labour was:

1. I wasn't drinking enough water
2. I wasn't eating good pre- nor post-workout snacks
3. I looked at supplements as something of a luxury (only for pro-athletes)
4. I wasn't getting enough sleep
5. I almost never stretched

So, not one to waste any time, I put the following into place:

1. I took a 1 litre bottle to work and left it on my desk for daily refill
2. I bought a tin of Creatine Monohydrate from Holland & Barrett for £10!
3. I started drinking a small glass of milk immediately after my kettlebell sessions
4. I started stretching for short periods thru-out the day!
5. I started getting to bed earlier

I will keep you posted on the outcome.

PS. If you want to see the update on this subject click here.